Ted and Julie’s Excellent Adventure

When I put out the call for boaters willing to join us in Ecuador in 2017, interest was high. Amazingly, some raft guides in Maine heard about the trip and contacted me from across the country. Isn’t Facebook grand! Ted and Julie sounded like a great couple and were willing to travel with their own boat – a shredder – to join us in Ecuador. Even though they were only able to escape the Maine winter for a few days during Christmas break, we were able to make the most of it. Here is a recap of their 5-day adventure!

Day 1

I arranged for my Ecuadorian friend Diego to pick them and another friend, Cliff, up at the airport in Quito. After a bit of delay in flights, everyone arrived, cleared customs, and were on their way to Tena where Lacey and I waited at the Hostal Zumag Sisa. Once they arrived and got settled in, we showed them around Tena and made plans for a river trip the next day on the Rio Jatanyacu.

Day 2

We hired one of the local taxi drivers that knows the river and headed to the put-in at Serena on the Rio Jatanyacu. The water level was a bit low at around 6 on the gage, but still super fun for Cliff and us in the catarafts and Ted and Julie in their Shredder. Fun waves, a few surfs, and no incidents at “duckie carnage” this time around.

Back at the Zumag Sisa, our host Pablo suggested a BBQ that night and a bucket of Jugo de Diablo; of course we said yes! What a great way to spend the evening after a day on the river, hanging with friends and “family” at the Zumag. Bar-b-que consisted of roasted chicken, whole grilled onions and tomatoes, and delicious pimiento relleno – peppers stuffed with cheese and an egg – grilled to perfection. Jugo de Diablo is an alcoholic drink made with lots of fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, and aguadiente blended with panela (unrefined brown sugar). Aguadiente is the secret “diablo” ingredient and is a cane alcohol distilled by locals in the jungle. Pablo has connections for the good stuff; you hardly taste the alcohol, but it still packs a punch.

Day 3

For their third day in Ecuador, we made arrangements to have Diego accompany us on the Rio Jondachi to run the lower section into the Rio Hollin. A honk of the horn in Mondayacu brought the local porters running after us to carry the equipment down a steep, slippery, and usually muddy trail to the river. Inflating under sunny skies, we headed down the lower Jondachi at pretty low water. It was a perfect level for the Shredder piloted by Ted and Julie. This may have been Cliff’s first experience with such a technical, low water river but he did fine. Sunny weather, lots of waterfalls entering the river, and sweet Class III/III+ rapids make the lower Jondachi one of my favorites in Ecuador. A great day on the river for all.

Here is a video of the great Jondachi Experience in a Shredder!

Day 4

The next morning (Christmas Eve) we loaded up the gear and hired transport to Baeza to run the Rio Quijos and participate in the Christmas celebrations. We stayed at the awesome Cabanas Tres Rios in Borja with our hosts Chris and Andrea of Endless Adventure. We were able to get on the water that afternoon and run the Borja section of the Rio Quijos (right from the Cabanas!) before heading into Baeza in the evening for the annual boater Christmas dinner at Bar Restaurant “Gina’s.” This annual event is hosted by Gina and her family for all of the boaters in the area. Some, like us, come from other areas to attend and then run rivers in the Baeza area. Gina and her family provide an awesome buffet-style meal in her restaurant for FREE on Christmas to show their appreciation for the boating community. The celebration isn’t complete without the “secret santa” gift exchange which Gina loves. Lots of crazy “white elephant” style gifts are exchanged between friends and complete strangers.

Day 5

Christmas Day was spent on the river, putting in at the Cabanas and running the Borja, El Chaco, and Bombon sections of the Rio Quijos. The water was a bit low (9 on the rock), but still a good level for the catarafts and Shredder. We all took a good look at El Toro before running a right line to mostly avoid the puffy hole at the bottom. I didn’t remember anything too hard below so was a bit surprised by how stout some of the rapids were, especially one major Class IV rapid that we had to read and run (no eddy to scout from). It was chunky with lots of twists and turns between huge boulders. Everyone did fine and I think that was a highlight for Ted and Julie. They styled it in the Shredder! Below that, there is a beautiful float through a basalt canyon where the rock is weirdly twisted. Where the Rio Oyacachi joins the Quijos, there is a broad, shallow, bar that funnels the water into a couple of sizable holes. Ted and Julie had a great hole ride in the Shredder and Cliff showed his surfing skills, intentional or not. Then it was on to the Bombon section where we scouted a couple of drops, including Curvas Peligrosas. At “Curvas” Ted and Julie got a bit close to Cliff, climbed the pillow rock, and joined the Rio Quijos swim team. They recovered quickly and we finished off the Bombon section, taking out at the “bumblebee” bridge where the level read 15 on the gage. It was below 4 on the Oyacachi gage, making this a relatively low level for the Bombon section.

Here is some video of Ted and Julie running a rapid on the Bombon section of the Rio Quijos. Followed by Cliff in his “International Travel” cataraft.

That night, Chris and Andrea hosted a Christmas party at the Cabanas Tres Rios with a bring your own meat BBQ with sides provided as well with an open bar for cocktails, beer, or wine. Although Ted and Julie had to head to Quito to catch their plane home the next day, it worked out well since Chris and Andrea had other guests arriving in Quito that night and were sending a driver – Ted and Julie could easily go with the driver making it a great solution for travel on Christmas. We all hated to see them leave, but we couldn’t have asked for a nicer 5 days in Ecuador, boater’s paradise! Check out this video from Ted on their last day in Ecuador.

Join us in Ecuador in 2019/2020. We have itineraries for beginning/intermediate (Class II-III) boaters and advanced (Class IV+) boaters. Even if you only have a week, we can put together an awesome trip. We can’t guarantee that weather and water will align like it did for Ted and Julie, but with many options in the Tena and Baeza areas, you’re assured of getting on the water and have your own excellent adventure. Looking for a longer trip? We can spend additional time in Baeza and Tena or head further afield to Macas or Santo Domingo to experience even more fabulous Ecuadorian rivers. Contact us today to reserve your spot in Paradise.